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Changchun turn the tables

Changchun Yatai emerged as the new champions of China PR as
they rounded off their fairy tale run to Super League title with a
4-1 defeat of Shenzhen in the final round of matches on Wednesday.

Hot off their 4-0 victory over Wuhan Guanggu last Saturday,
which lifted them to the summit, above Beijing Guoan by a solitary
point, Changchun entered the last game with their destiny in their
own hands. Playing away in Shenzhen, Changchun made a dream start
with Honduran import Elvis Scott edging them in front after just
two minutes.

Kamate Dramank restored parity for the hosts in the 25th minute,
but their joy lasted for only three minutes as Wang Wanpeng
restored Changchun's advantage after a goalmouth scramble.
Dazaghi doubled their advantage 16 minutes later, before Scott
scored his 12th goal of the season just before the interval to seal
a memorable victory.

The win ensured that Changchun, playing in only their second
season in the top flight since a 2005 promotion, maintained their
one-point lead over Beijing, whose 1-0 reverse of defending
champions Shandong Luneng was not enough to return more than
another second-placed finish.

While Changchun's ground-breaking success surprised even
their own supporters, coach Gao Hongbo pointed out that the
foundation was not laid overnight. "Changchun Yatai have
spared no efforts in developing the club's youth throughout its
11 years and the backbone of the current team comes from the
production line," the 41-year-old told
FIFA.com.

He was particularly delighted with the team's foreign
striking duo of Dazaghi and Scott, who bagged nearly half of
Yatai's 48 goals during the campaign. "It proved that we
made the right selections in terms of imported players as they did
a very good job."

Competitive edgeChangchun became the fifth team to win the trophy in the
14-year existence of the Chinese Super League, and the title race
was particularly interesting with the fight going down to the wire.
The battle was between Yatai, Beijing and holders Shandong Luneng
after 25 rounds, but it was coach Gao Hongbo's charges who took
the upper hand when they beat arch-rivals Beijing. A 2-2 tie
against Shanghai Shenhua and an unexpected 3-2 loss to Henan Jianye
did, however, see Yatai surrender the lead to Beijing with only two
matches remaining.

"At the crucial moment I was clear that we must focus on
the performances rather than the results," coach Gao said.
"We could have lost either game if we think had thought too
much about the outcome because that would have only added the
pressure on us."

Fortunately for their faithful, the team kept their cool in the
last two matches to win both en route to glory.

Such a competitive end to the season reignited interest and
passion among supporters across the country. Fans flocked to the
stadiums and tickets were sold out, a scene rarely witnessed in the
recent years.

For Gao, such signs suggest well not only for the club, but also
for the nation's football: "The national team had a
disappointing Asian Cup this year but the league success came a
timely boost for Chinese football. Now everyone is aware that the
national teams can only improve with the league developing
well."